Mountainside Treatment Center Launches Extended Care Program

June 16th, 2015

Extended Care program aims to assist clients during the most fragile stage of recovery

Canaan, CT—Mountainside, a nationally acclaimed substance abuse treatment center, recently launched an enhanced Extended Care program as part of its continuum of care. The program offers a unique combination of Community Living, Outpatient Services and a Work Program. Through the new Extended Care program, Mountainside aims to help individuals successfully transition to independent sober living by putting knowledge into practice as they negotiate the demands of the world around them.

The Community Living portion of the program is in a newly built 10,000-square-foot home, designed to be modern, spacious and conducive to healing. The goal of the home is to provide a welcoming environment for clients to practice self-care as well as build a support network.

“Here at Mountainside, clients become part of a close-knit community — living and learning together,” said Alexandra Helfer, (LPC, LADC) Vice President of Program Development at Mountainside. “By practicing how to juggle daily life activities along with a commitment to recovery, our Extended Care clients create a stronger foundation and support network for long-term sobriety.”

An especially innovative component of Mountainside’s Extended Care program is its Work Program. Through the Work Program, Mountainside provides a paid opportunity for individuals to be re-introduced to real life commitments and responsibilities. Individuals work part-time at the Mountainside Café, a farm-to-table restaurant open to the local community. In the process of doing so, they learn and practice time management, accountability, money management, and more.

With research showing that longer programs have significantly higher rates of improved outcomes, Mountainside invested greater resources to develop a new Extended Care program that not only delivers quality clinical care but also opportunities for overall wellness.

“At Mountainside, we firmly believe holistic wellness helps individuals to avoid relapse and maintain sobriety. And so we have created a wide range of sober fun activities to cultivate mind, body and spirit as well as practical skills workshops to help our clients develop critical life skills and support systems,” said Ms. Helfer.

In the past, 30-day treatment programs were widely accepted as the standard length of treatment, but more recent clinical research has shown that 90-day extended care programs are more effective. According to a report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, staying in treatment for at least three months is one of the keys to successful recovery.

At the moment, Mountainside’s Extended Care program is a men-only program, with plans to open a female housing option in the future. For more information and images of the Extended Care facility, visit the Mountainside site here.

###

Mountainside Treatment Center

Mountainside is nationally recognized for the effectiveness of its drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs. Our Integrative Care Model provides a comprehensive set of treatment and care offerings coordinated by a multidisciplinary treatment team to best fit the unique needs and interests of each client. We are lauded for our ability to partner with each client and the client’s family and healthcare professionals in developing and executing individualized treatment plans that promote long-term sobriety. Learn more about Mountainside at mountainside.com.